(2020-11-18). As North Dakota Faces World's Deadliest Outbreak, Native Communities Condemn States' COVID Response. 18.224.45.15 
As COVID-19 rampages through the U.S., we look at how the rapid spread of the disease is affecting Native American communities, which have already faced disproportionate infection and death rates throughout the pandemic. "We're having a lot of people perish. We're having a lot of death, a lot of hospitalizations," says Jodi Archambault, a citizen of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and former special assistant to President Obama for Native American affairs. We also speak with Allie Young, founder of Protect the Sacred, who says the Navajo Nation has "worked hard to flatten the curve" of COVID-19 infections but is st…
(2020-11-18). As COVID Deaths Soar, El Paso at Breaking Point with Hospitals & Mobile Morgues Filling Up. 18.224.45.15 
Some Republican governors are dropping their resistance to mask mandates, as public health officials in the United States brace for a COVID-19 surge from the Thanksgiving holiday amid already record-high infection rates. However, Republican resistance to other public health safety measures continues as coronavirus cases in Texas reach record highs for a second time during the pandemic. El Paso County, an area along the U.S.-Mexico border where 80% of residents are Latinx, is also facing one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in the U.S. and now has 10 mobile morgues to hold bodies. Some prisoners are being paid just…
(2020-11-18). The Mattole Salmon Return Ceremony. counterpunch.org 
Large gatherings do not find favor, during this plague-haunted time, with regulatory and administrative officials. However, increasing consciousness of indigenous peoples' rights, recognition that the land management practices of the dominant culture are failing, and their own deep desires for the restoration of historic salmon visitations to our coast, persuaded the BLM and the Humboldt County
(2020-11-18). Tutu, Gandhi, King descendants call for clemency for NYS imprisoned elder activist. mronline.org 
The Open Letter, coordinated by Fellowship of Reconciliation former Chairperson Matt Meyer, is one of many such efforts throughout the U.S. calling for relief for over-age inmates facing fatal consequences in light of multiple health crises, and throughout the world calling for freedom for all political prisoners.
(2020-11-18). Faurecia auto parts workers join calls for national shutdown to stop the spread of COVID-19 and save lives. wsws.org Workers at the Faurecia plant in Saline, Michigan, southwest of Detroit, contacted the World Socialist Web Site over the weekend to expose the way in which their company suppresses information about the spread of disease.
(2020-11-18). Violence, insecurity continues to plague South Sudan communities. news.un.org Over 1,000 people have been killed and more than 400 abducted in the past six months in intercommunal violence in South Sudan, amid fears that tensions may worsen with the onset of the dry season, the UN envoy for the country has said.
(2020-11-18). The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Augurs Hope. globalresearch.ca In the mist of the gloom generated by the twin health and economic crises, the birth of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a ray of light auguring hope. | More than a million lives have been lost world-wide as …
(2020-11-18). Iran COVID-19 cases exceed 800,000. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 10 (MNA) — The Iranian Health Ministry has confirmed 13,421 COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours, bringing the total cases in the country to 801,894.
(2020-11-18). Uruguay: Health Services Unions Call for a National Strike. telesurenglish.net Uruguay's National Medical Union (SMU) and the Medical Federation of the Interior (FEMI) Wednesday called for a 24-hour strike in the private sector and mobile emergencies to demand better working conditions. | RELATED: | On November 5, the General Assembly of the SMU agreed to carry out the national strike due to "the lack of progress in the negotiation with the Wage Council of the private sector." | SMU represen…
(2020-11-18). New Report: 'Billionaire Wealth vs. Community Health'. popularresistance.org Washington, DC – Essential workers went underpaid, unsupported and forced to risk their health at corporations owned or operated by billionaires, even as the total wealth of America's billionaires rose by more than $1 trillion under the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report by the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), United for Respect, and Bargaining for the Common Good Network. An analysis of billionaire wealth by IPS found that 647 U.S. billionaires gained $960 billion, almost $1 trillion in wealth between March 18, 2020 and November 17, 2020.
(2020-11-18). Crisis, What Crisis? Hypocrisy and Public Health in the UK. dissidentvoice.org On 12 March 2020, British PM Boris Johnson, referring to COVID-19, informed the public: We've all got to be clear; this is the worst public health crisis for a generation. Since that time, we have seen lockdowns, an ongoing government-backed fear campaign, fundamental rights being stripped away, dissent censored, inflated COVID-19 death numbers and the …
(2020-11-18). The Healthcare Multinational Profiting off Fraudulent Detentions. dissidentvoice.org In July 2020, US healthcare multinational UHS Delaware reached a $122million settlement with the US federal government as the result of an investigation by the FBI into fraudulent detentions of psychiatric patients for profit. Following the resolution of the investigation and civil settlement, UHS must retain an independent monitor selected by the Office of Inspector …
(2020-11-18). Poll: 71% of Voters Support Strong Regulation to Protect the Public. zcomm.org Poll Shows Overwhelming Bipartisan Support for Regulation Protecting Workers, Public Health, Our Environment…
(2020-11-18). UK MP Suggests People Shouldn't be Allowed to Work Without COVID Vaccine. globalresearch.ca A British MP faced backlash Monday after suggesting that employees in the UK should not be allowed to go to work unless they can prove that they have been vaccinated against COVID-19, when the shot becomes available. | "If vaccination works …
(2020-11-17). Uruguay: Leftist Party Presents Proposal To Reject Budget Bill. telesurenglish.net Uruguay's left-wing Broad Front (BF) presented a document at the Senate on Monday in order to reform the 2020-2024 Budget Bill which they claim establishes several cuts in basic policies, such as education, health care, and the administration of justice. | RELATED: | "The 2020-2024 Budget presented by the Executive Branch and approved by the Coalition in the Lower Chamber turns its back on the needs of the great maj…
(2020-11-17). "No End in Sight": 9 Months into Pandemic, Nurses Are Tired, Demoralized & Still Lack Adequate PPE. democracynow.org 
As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its ninth month, a new report by National Nurses United, the largest nurses' union in the United States, finds hospitals are still failing to provide adequate PPE and are unprepared as the surge is expected to get worse during the flu season. Nurses also report mental health struggles related to the pandemic. The union estimates at least 2,000 frontline healthcare workers have died due to COVID-19, with nurses of color accounting for half of those deaths, even though they're less than a quarter of the workforce. Jean Ross, president of National Nurses United, says the lack of prepa…
(2020-11-17). With COVID Vaccines on the Horizon, U.S. Urged to Help Ensure Equitable Distribution Across Globe. 18.224.45.15 
As the U.S. COVID-19 death toll nears 250,000, drugmakers Pfizer and Moderna have both announced promising vaccine trial results showing over 90% effectiveness in preventing illness. But officials and health experts warn widespread distribution of a vaccine for the coronavirus — which has killed 1.2 million people across the globe — will be tremendously difficult to store and distribute. Vaccine researcher Dr. Saad Omer calls the recent news "reassuring" but says drugmakers need to be much more transparent about their data and issue more than just press releases. "There should be a little bit more det…
(2020-11-17). Covid in Lebanon: Minister's 'let women cook' in lockdown comment causes uproar. middleeasteye.net 
Covid in Lebanon: Minister's 'let women cook' in lockdown comment causes uproar | Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi also said women 'too timid' to be prime minister, sparking widespread backlash | Tue, 11/17/2020 – 12: 51 | Mohammed Fahmi has come under fire for his comments (Reuters) | Social media users in Lebanon have organised a campaign challenging controversial comments made by caretaker Interior Minis…
(2020-11-17). Russia to produce freeze-dried Covid-19 vaccine to solve challenge of keeping formula cold while being moved around vast country. rt.com 
Russia plans to switch the production of its first Covid-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, to a freeze-dried form, as the country looks to find a solution for the logistical challenges of transporting it throughout the country and abroad. | The problem of storage is not unique to Sputnik V. Two Western vaccine producers also face the challenge of keeping theirs sufficiently cold. In particular, the formula proposed by American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer needs to be stored at -70 degrees Celsius (-94 degrees Fahrenheit). | Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) boss Kirill Dmitriev told Reuters the freeze-dried vaccine wo…
(2020-11-17). The enemy of our enemy: Scientists re-engineer bacteria to attack pathogens and leave healthy cells unharmed. rt.com 
Scientists have managed to successfully re-engineer bacteria that normally attack human cells to attack pathogens instead, adding to a growing arsenal humanity can deploy to defend itself from disease. | Numerous pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria harness specific types of proteins and use them as battering rams in order to break through the cell membranes of their hosts and kill them. | The types of proteins targeted are called cholesterol-dependent cytolysins (CDCs). Cholesterol is a fatty molecule from which human cell walls are made, and CDCs are particularly adept at punching holes in these membranes.
(2020-11-17). Scotland to enter 'short and sharp' lockdown in bid to curb Covid-19 before Christmas. rt.com 
Pubs, restaurants, gyms, and non-essential shops will close in 11 council areas of Scotland, including Glasgow, from Friday, in a bid to reduce pressure on the health system, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced. | The country's toughest 'tier-four' Covid-19 restrictions will affect some 2.3 million people across west and central Scotland, and are set to remain in place until December 11. | The
(2020-11-17). Union lawsuit wins UK workers right to picket during lockdown. peoplesdispatch.org During the proceedings in a lawsuit filed by Unite union against police and health authorities for threatening workers on strike, the UK government confirmed that workers on lawful industrial action have the right to picket their workplace during the COVID-19 lockdown…
(2020-11-17). Fauci Calls for Unified, Federal Approach to Tackling COVID. truthout.org Anthony Fauci, current director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and a member of the White House's coronavirus task force, called on the federal government to take a more uniform approach to combating the pandemic, rather than relying on each state to come up with their own statewide plans or regulations. | "We need some fundamental public health measures that everyone should be adhering to, not a disjointed, 'One state says one thing, the other state says another thing,'" <...
(2020-11-17). Poorer Countries May Have to Wait Years for a COVID Vaccine. truthout.org A COVID-19 vaccine appears to be on the way, raising plenty of questions about how much vaccines will cost and who get will get them first. | On Monday, Moderna announced initial results from a clinical trial showing that its
(2020-11-17). UN releases $100 million to guard against famine. news.un.org The United Nations released $100 million of emergency funding on Tuesday to stave off the risk of famine in seven countries most at risk from a hunger epidemic fueled by conflict, economic decline, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.
(2020-11-17). Global Mental Health Services Are Collapsing as Demand Grows. jamanetwork.com The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted mental health, neurological, and substance abuse services in 93% of 130 countries surveyed by the World Health Organization (WHO).
(2020-11-17). Workers Struggles: The Americas. wsws.org Doctors in Buenos Aires are set to strike November 17 over an insufficient pay offer while health care workers in Chile struck November 12 and 13 demanding upgrades to the system.
(2020-11-17). Meeting of Coronavirus Combat Headquarters in Isfahan. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 17 (MNA) — The meeting of Coronavirus Combat and Prevention Headquarters was held in the presence of Iranian Health Minister Saeed Namaki at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences on Tuesday.
(2020-11-17). With Pandemic as National Emergency, Biden Could Enact Medicare for All by Executive Action—But Will He? commondreams.org "I do not expect Joe Biden to use this power on Inauguration Day to instantly turn the United States into a single-payer country. But there's nothing in the law that would appear to prevent him from doing it." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-11-17). There's one big, important difference between Pfizer and Moderna's coronavirus vaccines. salon.com Both Pfizer and Moderna have announced promising vaccine candidates in recent days; is one better or worse?>
(2020-11-17). Video: The COVID Cult. "The Greatest Public Health Fiasco in World History" globalresearch.ca This is the greatest public health fiasco in the history of the world, and the media has distorted it so badly, that much of the general public is celebrating villains and hissing at heroes. And, even — perversely enough — …
(2020-11-17). Partnership to Make 120 Million COVID-19 Rapid Tests Available. jamanetwork.com A global partnership plans to make 120 million coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rapid antigen tests available in low- and middle-income countries, according to an announcement from the World Health Organization's (WHO) Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator.
(2020-11-17). New partnership to boost maternal and newborn health in East and Southern Africa. news.un.org Some 10,000 health workers will be trained to support mothers and newborns in Africa through a partnership between the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, and Laerdal Global Health, the non-profit arm of a Norwegian company that provides innovative training, educational and therapy solutions for emergency medical care and patient safety.
(2020-11-17). Former Pfizer Vice-President Dr. Michael Yeadon Questions Company's Vaccine 'Breakthrough' Spin. globalresearch.ca Yesterday Pfizer announced to much media fanfare that it has a breakthrough in the search for a reliable COVID-19 vaccine claiming studies showed it can prevent 90% of people contracting the virus. But respected former vice-president of Pfizer, Dr. Michael …
(2020-11-17). Q&A: Encouraging responsible behaviour during the COVID-19 'infodemic'. imperial.ac.uk How can public health messaging cut through the flood of information and encourage responsible behaviour?>
(2020-11-17). Red States' case against ACA hinges on whether they were actually harmed by the law. salon.com The Republican-led states are trying to prove they were harmed by the 2010 health law…
(2020-11-17). The COVID-19 Vaccine. The Imposition of Compulsory Vaccination with a Biometric Health Passport? globalresearch.ca The COVID-19 vaccine… Is this THE final goal of this crisis, to impose a compulsory vaccination on everyone, with a biometric health passport and without it, the impossibility to move, to buy, to eat? The near future will tell.
(2020-11-17). Hospitals Are Still Unprepared and Lack PPE After 9 Months of Pandemic. truthout.org As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its ninth month, a new report by National Nurses United, the largest nurses' union in the United States, finds hospitals are still failing to provide adequate PPE and are unprepared as the surge is expected to get worse during the flu season. Nurses also report mental health struggles related to the pandemic. The union estimates at least 2,000 frontline healthcare workers have died due to COVID-19, with nurses of color accounting for half of those deaths, even though th…
(2020-11-17). Vaccines give us light at end of the tunnel, Neil Ferguson tells Paris Forum. imperial.ac.uk Imperial's Professor Neil Ferguson says that the promise of effective COVID-19 vaccines is very encouraging but we may need restrictions until then.
(2020-11-17). Assessing Alternative Payment Models. jamanetwork.com To the Editor Dr Navathe and colleagues suggested that alternative payment models have played a key role in slowing the growth of US health care spending despite evidence indicating they have limited effect. They posited that the true effect of alternative payment models has been underestimated in individual evaluations because these models have been compared with a declining spending baseline.
(2020-11-16). Cuba Could be on the Brink of a Revolutionary COVID Vaccine, But US Sanctions Are Slowing It Down. mintpressnews.com Cuba is already a medical powerhouse, and if it can successfully navigate the minefield of US sanctions, it could supply much of Latin America with a COVID vaccine.
(2020-11-16). The Imperative To Achieve National Improved Medicare For All. dissidentvoice.org 
NOTE: The Kevin Zeese Emerging Activists Fund is accepting applicants for an unrestricted grant of $20,000 until December 13, 2020. Learn more at PopularResistance.org/kevin-zeese/. And join us for a webinar with Venezuelan social movements on November 18 to hear about their upcoming elections and how we can support their struggle against US intervention. Details at …
(2020-11-16). Biden says 'ONLY REASON' Americans question Covid-19 vaccines is Trump. rt.com 
Saying he would personally take a coronavirus vaccine if Dr. Anthony Fauci and its makers told him it was safe, Democrat Joe Biden claimed the only reason Americans would distrust the jab is — President Donald Trump. | "I wouldn't hesitate to get the vaccine, if in fact Dr. Fauci [and Moderna or Pfizer] conclude it's safe," Biden said on Monday in Wilmington, Delaware, addressing the media who have anointed him president-elect. | Pfizer announced a "90 percent effective" jab last week, followed by Moderna's
(2020-11-16). Politicians are parasites feeding off corporations. Enough is enough. thecanary.co 
Boom. Bam. You know who it is. Yung Drilly, aka Drillminister — writing for
(2020-11-16). Lowering the Bar on Success: Megan McArdle on Drug Development. counterpunch.org 
Washington Post columnist Megan McArdle was anxious to tell readers that drug development in the pandemic has been a great success story. After all, look at all the treatments we have, and now it appears that Pfizer/BioNtech have developed a highly effective vaccine. What could be better than that? Well, first we need a bit
(2020-11-16). Hang on to your joystick: Gaming is GOOD for mental health, Oxford study claims. rt.com 
Whether it's Minecraft or Call of Duty, an Oxford University study says gaming may not be a time-wasting pastime but could in fact boost your well-being. This is according to data gathered with the help of gaming companies. | The team at the university's Oxford Internet Institute looked at some 3,200 gamers in the UK, US and Canada, who were playing Animal Crossing by Nintendo and Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville by Electronic Arts. | They presented their results in a
(2020-11-16). No time for complacency as COVID-19 cases surge: WHO chief. news.un.org Despite encouraging news about COVID-19 vaccines and cautious optimism over potential new tools against the disease, "this is not the time for complacency," the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Monday during his latest press briefing in Geneva.
(2020-11-16). Moderna Must Share Technology to Ensure Vaccine Breakthrough Is Not Limited to Rich Countries. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-11-16). 'It Should Belong to Humanity': Funded by Public, Promising Moderna Results Bolster Global Call for #PeoplesVaccine. commondreams.org "It's time for companies to live up to their human rights responsibilities and ensure the widest possible access to their innovations." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-11-16). Study Detailing 'Scandalous' Hospital Price-Gouging During Pandemic Proves Medicare for All Urgently Needed. commondreams.org With hospitalizations due to Covid-19 infections surging across the country, new analysis released Monday by the nation's largest nurses' union reveals that thousands of coronavirus patients are among the Americans who could soon be hit with "scandalous" gouging of prices for healthcare services. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
